Home / Zurich /Zurich Airport / IR36 to Basel SBB vs Private transfer to Lucerne

ZRH → Zurich · head to head

IR36 to Basel SBBorPrivate transfer to Lucerne?

The short answer

For one traveler the IR36 to Basel SBB is cheaper by CHF 134. But at 5 travelers the Private transfer to Lucerne takes over, and at 8 travelers the IR36 to Basel SBB takes over.

The Private transfer to Lucerne is quicker: 1 h against 1 h 27. The IR36 to Basel SBB varies between 87 and 94 minutes.

IR36 to Basel SBB: 05:56–20:56. Private transfer to Lucerne: hours not recorded.

Priced against each other

Whole-party totals · adult fares
What each costs for the whole party, in CHF. The cheaper of the two is marked on every row. The Private transfer to Lucerne is charged in euros; its column is converted at the reference rate in its fare note.
TravelersIR36 to Basel SBBPrivate transfer to LucerneDifference
1CHF 41about CHF 175CHF 134
2CHF 82about CHF 175CHF 93
3CHF 123about CHF 175CHF 52
4CHF 164about CHF 175CHF 11
5CHF 205about CHF 177CHF 28
6CHF 246about CHF 177CHF 69
7CHF 287about CHF 177CHF 110
8CHF 328about CHF 354CHF 26

The cheaper option changes at 5 travelers, from the IR36 to Basel SBB to the Private transfer to Lucerne. The cheaper option changes at 8 travelers, from the Private transfer to Lucerne to the IR36 to Basel SBB. That is the whole reason this comparison is not a single number.

Side by side

Where each one leaves you
IR36 · SBB, on a point-to-point ticketIR36 to Basel SBB
From
Zürich Flughafen railway station, platforms 1 to 4 — the InterRegio showing Basel SBB
To
Basel SBB, the main station, in 1 h 27; via Zürich HB (11 min), Baden (32), Brugg, Frick and Rheinfelden
Luggage
Mainline Swiss trains: racks and standing space by the doors.
Runs
05:56–20:56
Journey
87–94 min

The ticket is SBB's, not ZVV's. Ask for Zürich Flughafen to Basel SBB: CHF 41.00 an adult, CHF 20.50 for a child of 6 to 15 or with a Half-Fare card, under-6s free. A ZVV zone ticket stops being valid at the last ZVV station.

One an hour, at :56, from 05:56 to 20:56. After that take any train to Zürich HB and change; the ticket is valid all day on any train along the route.

The full fare is fixed; the "Supersaver" for one named train is not. It is cheaper, sold only in advance, priced by demand and refused on any other train — so it is not priced here.

The same train calls at Baden after 32 minutes: 45 tariff kilometres, CHF 18.40 on the same tariff.

No direct train on 21 and 22 November 2026 in SBB's published timetable; earlier closures this year ran 7 to 22 February and 7 to 15 March.

IR36 to Basel SBB: price for every party size

See the fare on sbb.ch

This compares two of 19 options. See all of them ranked for your party size

The other comparisons at Zurich Airport